Access to Electronic Resources: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know which electronic resources have been cataloged?

The goal is to catalog and display in MCAT all electronic resources that are created, converted, owned or licensed by the library, plus free web sites that selectors identify as being important to our users. This means that all types of electronic resources such as databases, ejournals, software, CD-ROMs, and ebooks, regardless of whether they are web-accessible, on a LAN, or on an individual workstation, can be located in MCAT. Individual journal and monograph titles in very large compilations, or aggregations, of ejournals and databases, such as Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe and ProQuest, will be cataloged too, though it may take a while. To check the cataloging status of a journal aggregator, see the list of Full Text Article Databases at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jaheim/access/aggregator.html

How do I find out which electronic resources are available through the University Library system?

To meet the various needs and preferences of our users, there are several places to look for electronic resources:

1. University Library catalog (MCAT) (Access via MIRLYN)
   All electronic resources will be in MCAT, and this is intended to be the one comprehensive source for electronic resources, except for very brief trials.

2. Electronic Resources (ELEC) file (Access via MIRLYN)
   In addition, a separate MDAS file of just the electronic resources in MCAT has been created, and can also be searched via MIRLYN. Since all electronic resources are cataloged with a note indicating that access to them is "electronic," it is easy to identify them in MCAT and extract them to create the ELEC file. The extraction from MIRLYN is done weekly, so ELEC is never more than seven days out of date compared to MCAT. ELEC is helpful for locating all types of electronic resources held or selected by the University Library, such as ejournals or software, in a given subject like pharmacy or American history.

3. Lists of selected networked resources
   Since some users prefer using lists to searching a catalog like MCAT or ELEC, and since there is particularly high demand for separate listings for networked resources (as opposed to "stand-alone" CD-ROMs and software not accessible on the network), two lists of selected networked resources have been created. Every resource on these lists is also fully cataloged and listed in both MCAT and ELEC. These lists are simply a supplemental form of access.
   • Electronic Journals and Newspapers List: http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/ejournals/

     This list is created by a weekly extraction from the ELEC file which takes all records that are coded as web-accessible and serial in nature, and loads selected information about them (title, hotlinked URL, local subject heading) into an HTML template. The list permits browsing alphabetically by title, or by locally assigned subject headings correlated to UM programs and departments. The list includes all the electronic journals and newspapers that have been individually cataloged, title by title, by Serials Cataloging, including titles with their own web site, titles that are part of a "bundled" package from a single publisher, and titles that are part of a compilation or aggregation database whose contents have been cataloged. All titles in the first two groups are cataloged as soon as the title or bundle is acquired or selected. Titles in full text compilations like Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe and ProQuest Research Library are gradually being cataloged, but because the number of titles is so large and the cataloging required is not routine, this process takes much longer. Linked to the Electronic Journals and Newspapers List is a list of Full Text Article Databases that indicates which bundles and aggregations have been cataloged title-by-title, and which have not. Also linked to the Electronic Journals and Newspapers List is a list of all trial subscriptions currently underway, some of which are not cataloged title-by-title because they are too brief in duration to justify the labor required.
     Full Text Article Databases [http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jaheim/access/aggregator.html]
     Trial Subscriptions http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/acqser/trials.html

   • Networked Electronic Resources http://www.lib.umich.edu/libhome/digResources/
     The purpose of this list is to simplify access to the networked resources that are purchased or locally created. It includes all networked resources that are locally created, converted, owned, or licensed (or that once were), arranged alphabetically by title and under broad subject categories. It does not include free web sites unless they are locally created, or were previously owned or licensed and have since become free. It does not include individual journal or newspaper titles, since there are so many of these and a separate list exists for them. However, by popular demand, it does include a link to each major journal and newspaper bundle and aggregation, such as JSTOR and the ProQuest Newspapers. This list is extracted from a Microsoft Access database currently maintained by [members of the Access to Electronic Resources Working Group?] Scott Dennis. It is updated [weekly?] irregularly, depending on when and how many new entries to the database are made. It includes brief descriptions of each database written by selectors, and symbols representing what kind of remote access is available.

How do I get electronic resources cataloged?

Overall, we’ve made a good start, but we need your help! There may be many resources that have not gone through cataloging or the standard acquisition process. If you have any electronic resources that are not cataloged, like software, CDs, or even free web sites that are important for your library, please email 2Bcat@umich.edu about getting them added to MCAT.

How do I get an e-journal or newspaper web site added to the Electronic Journals and Newspapers List?

Request that it be cataloged, as described above. Since the Electronic Journals and Newspapers List is extracted from ELEC which is extracted from MCAT, a title must first be added to MCAT before it can appear in either ELEC or the Electronic Journals and Newspapers List.

How do I get a networked resource added to the Networked Electronic Resources list?

Send email to netER@umich.edu and be sure to include:

• the title of the resource
• the URL for accessing the resource
• the coverage dates of the resource (if applicable)
• and a brief description of the resource (no more than 250 characters in length)

Date: 11/4/99 Revision DB/SD/JRA

The URLfor this page is: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~jaheim/access/accesserfaq.html